Watching Chance
by Alcarion
Summary: Sakura's got something to tell Neji...
1. Chapter 1

Bursts of laughter escaped from the open doors, and Neji pressed himself closer to the balcony railing, wishing upon a nonexistent friendly star that he could just cut the hell outta there. But when Naruto threw a party, and when Naruto _insisted_ on your presence there, going so far as to resort to half-serious threats (or maybe fully serious, Naruto'd gotten a lot better at hiding his emotions since he'd been accepted into ANBU), well, anyone with a shred of self-preservation and dignity knew when to just give up and do what the bombshell wanted. Less of the village got destroyed that way.

Still, Neji was not a party person. Years of exposure to both Lee and Tenten had gotten him loosened up somewhat, but amongst most social circles of the village, he was still counted as an uptight ass. And he knew it. No matter how quietly people whispered, he always heard what they said about him. That he didn't feel. Didn't care. That he _couldn't_. Couldn't have fun.

He'd seen no need to disabuse them of those notions. What'd he care what civilians thought? As long as his reputation as a ninja remained in the upper echelons of the best, then he didn't give a damn. After all, what fun was it to get piss-ass drunk? Lee had yet to manage to get Neji drunk. Unbeknownst to Neji, Lee had almost given him up as a bad job in that respect. There was no point in trying to force a drink on a man who could stop your heart with a touch. Not that Neji would ever do that to Lee, but there were other, just as vital parts of the male body that Neji could damage if he was ever given the cause to.

Another raucous torrent of laughter poured from the room behind him. Neji sighed, and looked out over the moonlight expanse of Konoha. At times like these, even the Hyuuga bunker began to seem preferable. His uncle had finally recognized his abilities on Neji's 21st birthday earlier that year. With that recognition, the curse seal on his head had been lifted, and his uncle had given his word that if any other Branch member displayed the same potential as he, they would receive the same treatment. Hinata had beamed at that declaration. Neji had little doubt that she had been working on Hiashi for a few years to get that concession. She had blossomed since her 12th year. The shy girl had dissipated, replaced with a sweet tempered young woman. With her boldness growing, his dislike of her had waned, and the two of them had started to become friends.

He taught her to fight. She taught him patience.

A breathless giggle followed the female body that stumbled over to press against the rail and Neji in equal measures. Pink hair tickled his cheeks, and Neji reached out a hand to steady Sakura as her ankle twisted. Still laughing, she reached up and brushed her hair back from her face, green eyes laughing up at him.

"Sorry Neji, Kiba got a little carried away dancing there". She laughed again, and bent down to adjust the straps of her shoes. The movement caused the V-line neck of her ivy colored dress to plunge even deeper, and Neji's eyes followed it. Flushed, he looked away as she straightened, and fixed the front of her dress. He could feel her eyes on him, and he shifted away from the heat of her body. He'd never been as easy with her as he had been with the rest of her team. Them he could read, and understand. She on the other hand, was a mystery. A 20 year-old, jounin level, top medic-nin mystery.

"…out here?"

Neji blinked. "Sorry, what'd you say?"

Sakura grinned, and settled herself next to him. "Do you mind if I stay out here with you for a while? I need a break from the noise in there."

The corners of Neji lips twitched in response to her smile. "It's a free balcony".

"That it is". Sakura snorted. "Neji, question for you. Why are you here?"

"Naruto asked me to come. You of all people should know, that what Naruto wants, most of the time, he gets".

She laughed, and gazed out over the city, staring off into the distance. "You'd rather be out there, wouldn't you?" she said, waving a hand in the direction of the village gates, and what lay beyond.

"How'd you guess?"

Sakura smiled, her lips curving up in a cat-like smile, one that hinted of knowledge and secrets. "Even when we were younger, you were stiff around people. But when you fought, you looked like you were enjoying yourself. Besides, your one of the most frequent patients I get at the hospital, even if your injuries are minor. You're also never in the village".

"I never knew I was so easy to read," Neji drawled wryly.

The corners of Sakura's lips twitched up further, deepening her smile. "You aren't easy to read. But I've made a practice of it".

Silver eyes wide, he stared down at her. "You've what…?"

"You're a hard person to read, Neji, and an even harder person to get to know," she shrugged. "At first, I started watching you for the challenge, and because the scientist in me was curious. I figured, if I could understand how you thought, then I could understand anyone. And for a while it was true. I began to understand a little about you, and in turn I understood more about the human mind. Ibiki was impressed".

"Ibiki?"

"I help him in interrogations sometimes…" Sakura shivered, and rubbed her arms, her smile fading. "But the more I watched you, the more I wanted to know you more, and so watching wasn't enough…"

Neji raised an eyebrow at that. "So that explains all those seemingly random conversations while you were treating me."

"Well, I was hardly going to let the opportunity pass by".

"Then I suppose I can't let this one pass by either". Before he could question what he was doing, Neji passed his arms around Sakura's waist and drew her snuggly against his chest. Her face turned up to his, eyes beginning to widen, and then his lips found hers, moving softly first, then harder, with a growing sense of urgency. Her lips parted, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue in, and slide it along hers, caressing the inside of her mouth, till her legs turned to jelly, and it was only his arms at her back that kept her standing. Sakura's arms slid up to lock around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair. Neji made a sound of approval deep in his throat, and tightened his grasp, crushing her chest to his.

A high-pitched whistle broke the two of them apart, and Neji spun around to find Naruto watching them, one blonde eyebrow cocked, blue eyes, sparkling mischievously.

"Don't stop on my account".

Sakura blushed, and murmured something unintelligible. Neji on the other hand, glared at Naruto for a long second, then gathered chakra into his feet, and leapt onto the railing, then to the roof of the building below. Within moments, he was gone from view.

"What, did I scare him off?" Naruto quipped, staring after the fleeing Hyuuga.

Sakura whacked him on the shoulder. Hard.

"Ow!"

"Idiot, you deserved it! You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you!"

"What, you mean you didn't tell him?"

"I would have gotten there…eventually". Sakura's cheeks flushed an even deeper red.

"Before or after the deed?" Naruto crowed.

Sakura raised her fist again, and he backed off, hands raised in a calming gesture. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Sakura glowered at him, then turned to gaze in the direction Neji had gone. Naruto leant against the rails, one arm around her shoulders. With a sigh, Sakura folded into the embrace.

"Will you ever tell him?"

"Will I ever get the chance again?"

Naruto's eyes darkened. "Meaning?"

"Tsunade's sending him on a month long mission to scout around Orochimaru's base tomorrow. Neji's good, but not even he can stop every attack."

"I think you'll get the opportunity."

Sakura looked up at her team mate to find him grinning, whisker marks black streaks in the moonlight. "What makes you so sure?"

"I'm going with him".


	2. Chapter 2

**AN- sorry, but I really do suck at updating. It's never been one of my strong points. So forgive the inevitable wait that there'll be in between chapters. Work really takes it out of me sometimes. Not that that's an excuse, more of a reason why I don't update much. Plus inspiration sometimes needs to strike like the lightning bolt that it's supposed to be. Ah well, thank you so very very very much to all those who reviewed that first chapter, and to those who read it, I really appreciate it.**

Five am two mornings after the party saw Naruto lounging against one of the posts of the great gates, watching Neji as he walked up, a bag slung over one shoulder, sword strapped to the other. His long hair was tied into a tidy horsetail low on his neck, in blatant contrast to Naruto's shock of hair, which stuck out every which way.

"I was about to send out a search party for you, you're late".

Neji grimaced. "Check your watch fox-boy, it's just gone five. You were early for once".

Naruto grinned, and scratched the back of his head. "Well, you try going for 8 years with Jiraiya and Kakashi for teachers. Even you'd develop a slight neurosis where time's concerned. One can never remember the time, the other gets so drunk and into women that he forgets what the time is".

"Well you had to get one good talent from your years with them. Pity it wasn't something more useful, like a decent ninjutsu".

Pouting, Naruto turned woebegone eyes on the jounin next to him. "We can't all be perfect like you. I mean, someone has to be slightly less than perfect to make you look better than you really are".

"You can only hope to be as good as I am," Neji replied, before ducking the cuff Naruto sent his way.

As the pair walked out the gates, Neji turned a deadpan face to Naruto, saying, "We really ought to work on your reflexes too". This time, he didn't miss Naruto's fist.

_**XOX**_

After learning of the fight between Neji and Naruto in the days before she came, then the way they worked together on the failed attempt to retrieve Sasuke, the Godaime began to pair the two together more often. Neji could put up with Naruto's antics and mouth, and Naruto could take Neji's silence. Besides, he talked more than enough for the pair of them. Plus he was thick skinned enough to ignore any half-hearted insults Neji might send his way. Not to say the insults were always half-hearted, it was just that Naruto knew better than to talk them personally. Eventually, the two began to dismiss with the insults and antics, and gradually, a formidable partnership began to bloom. Between Naruto's power, and Neji's finesse, there were few who stood a serious chance against the duo.

Which was why they found themselves slowly circling the outer regions of what Tsunade said, and hoped, based on the intelligence she had received, was Orochimaru's current base.

Not that it looked promising. Out of the three buildings there, none of them was in any well kept state. In fact, the three of them put together probably still wouldn't have counted as a proper house. Windows were broken and dark, tiles lay smashed on both the ground and the roof, and doors hung crookedly on their hinges. Nothing moved, as the two Leaf ninja watched, hidden in the branches of a tree.

"There's nothing here. No people, no animals, certainly no ninjas," Neji spat in disgust as he surveyed the ground below, "so much for intelligence. Shall we take a closer look Naruto?" Naruto didn't reply, just stared at the building in front of them, and vague unease showing on his face.

"Something's not right. I can feel…I don't know what I feel. It feels like _him_, feels like _them, _but there's no chakra…it doesn't make sense…"

"Naruto, what're you talking about?" Neji shifted his weight from foot to foot, peering through the leaves of the trees, "there's no one there, and I can't sense a thing".

Naruto turned worried eyes on him. "Orochimaru's good at this kind of thing, making something seem like it's not." He cast a hand in the direction of the compound. "This is exactly his style, hiding in some run down shit-hole like this, where he thinks he's safe, where he thinks we can't find him. And he's right. He's right because he and Kabuto cast such damn good genjutsu that they could make you think down is up and up is down. You never see through them."

Creases smeared themselves between Neji's silver eyes as he frowned. "And how exactly do you know all this?"

Shivers ran down Naruto's spine. "Jiraiya. Personal experience. And no, I won't tell you about it. Plus, the Kyuubi feels something, and I've come to trust him when it comes to genjutsu."

"You trust that demon!" Neji's eyes narrowed to incredulous slits. "You've got to be joking"

Some of his regular humor reappeared in Naruto's eyes. "I'm not joking. He's better at genjutsu than me. Besides, he's come to realize that if I die, so does he, so he's decided that it's in his best interest to help me. Of course, the old bastard rarely does it willingly. Most of the time I've got to bully him into it."

"Bully the Kyuubi…?" It was comments like this that made Neji remember exactly how strong Naruto really was. Between the fox's gigantic supply of chakra, and Naruto's own freakish stamina, and force of will, Naruto was an almost insurmountable force.

Neji shook his head, and turned his thoughts back to the problem at hand. "Okay then, so you're obviously against going in there. So what do you suggest we do then?"

"You could try your Byakugan, but I don't think you'll find anything." He paused while Neji did try, and shook his head. "Didn't work? Didn't think it would. He wouldn't be in those buildings. His base will be underground, and since he knows about your clan and their talents, he will have built it deep enough so that you can't see anything." Neither jounin mentioned exactly how Orochimaru would have gotten such precise information. It was still a touchy subject, even after all the years.

"Well then what? Do you want to try sending in a clone? That'll just reveal that we know where he is".

"True." Naruto was silent for a long while, staring out through the leaves. "If it's an underground base, then there's got to be a door down to it. We need to find that, but we can't go in there ourselves. So we'll send someone else."

One dark eyebrow shot up. "And who exactly do you suggest we send? There's only the two of us."

A smirk stole across Naruto's face. "Not quite". He bit his thumb and sent his hands flying in a rapid sequence of seals, before slamming them onto the tree limb. "Kuchiyose no jutsu".

A puff of smoke rose, then a reedy voice piped up. "Yo!"

Smiling, Neji shook his head. "I should've thought of it first".

"Guess even geniuses aren't always perfect. Anyway, Gamutatsu, good to see you again."

"You too kid. Whatcha need me for this time?"

"I want you to go into that compound and see if you can find any doors leading underground. I'll give you half an hour before I cancel the jutsu, ok?"

"Sure thing. Just one question. This wouldn't have anything to do with Orochimaru, would it?"

A devilish grin worked it's way over Naruto's face. "It's your job to find that out. Now hurry up. Sooner you go, sooner you can get out of here."

Grumbling, the toad slipped off the branch.

Naruto leant back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes. "Wake me up in half an hour". And with that, he was asleep.

_**XOX**_

29 minutes later, Naruto awoke to find Neji leaning over him.

"It's been half an hour. Cancel the jutsu, and let's get away from here before you get him back."

Naruto yawned, and stretched his arms back before releasing the summoning. "Okey dokey, lets go."

Two hours later found them crouching behind a stand of bushes, as Naruto prepared to summon Gamutatsu again.

"Hope this little punk's got something for us", Naruto muttered as the smoke cleared. "Hey… WHAT THE FUCK?"

Gamutatsu lay in the dirt in front of Naruto and Neji, a kunai thrust clear through him.

"If they found him, then they know we were there," Neji murmured as he stood, drawing his katana. "We need to move, _now_".

"Too late" Naruto growled, and Neji looked back over his shoulder just in time to see a Sound-nin step through the bushes. Rustling caused him to turn to find another Sound ninja sizing him up.

"You know," Naruto said conversationally, "Sakura really will kill me if you get too hurt"

Thrown slightly by the random comment, Neji's mouth moved before he thought. "What does she have to do with any of this?"

"It's just that she's got something to talk to you about".

"What?" Neji asked, eyeing the advancing ninja in front of him.

"Oh no, I'm not telling you. Tsunade may have taught her to heal, and taught her the secret to that strength of hers, but she never taught her restraint, so it's not worth my life to tell you. Anyway, I don't really know what she wants. She was a little vague on the details."

"You're really helpful Naruto" Neji growled, tensing as the Sound-nin got closer.

"Aren't I just?" came Naruto's glib reply.

Bringing his hand up to eye level, Neji growled out a single word as the chakra rushed to his eyes.

"_Byakugan!"_


	3. Chapter 3

**AN- **Hey, I love you people:-P, you actually reviewed. Thank youuuuuuuuu.

Sohpia- Sakura heals by chakra. If you've only read the first 8 books, well, keep reading, it gets better. Plus it explains a helluva a lot. Oh, and I did a Neji/sakura fic because it's my favourite pairing, and I've read some great fics in this pairing, so, I thought I'd give it a try, and see how it worked out.

Aznanime-eyes- it _all _floats my boat. Cheers for the review.

Thanks to everyone else who actually commented on this too.

_Disclaimer- it's been a long time coming, but I do not own Naruto. However, if some randomly named character shows up, which I doubt any will, well then, chances are I made up the random one. You'll know if I do though, cos it'll be the oddest thing you've ever read. No plans to go there though._

_**XOX**_

Neji hated head wounds. They bled lots, stung lots, and were a general pain in the arse. The first Sound ninja had managed to land an incredibly lucky hit on his forehead, slicing a messy path through his skin from just above his eyebrow all the way to his temple. That was his only triumph. After that, he'd managed to quite accidentally impale himself on Neji's sword. Neji himself had been bringing up his left hand to hit a tenketsu over the ninja's heart, content to let him die that way (because after all, death by exploding heart was so much cleaner than impaling a person. The heart didn't explode out of the chest, just inside it. A lot less blood that way). But of course the stupid Sound-nin had to try and dodge, forcing Neji to bring up his sword.

Come to think of it, Neji hated blood too. When you wore lots of cream and white, the cleaning bills tended to pile up a bit. And after 2 weeks of traveling back to Konoha with a seemingly endless entourage of enemy ninjas behind them, Neji's clothes were definitely worse for wear. He might have to rethink his colour scheme. One look at Naruto, however, and he promptly dismissed that idea.

At the moment, he was trying to enjoy a much needed break. Problem was, it was rather hard to enjoy a break when you were trying to be constantly on the alert for an ambush, while attempting to patch up the various cuts and scrapes you'd earned in the service of your village.

Naruto, on the other hand, had been disgustingly chipper throughout the entire ordeal. He was the one truly keeping lookout at the moment, because he didn't have any wounds to bind up. It was one of the irritating things about traveling with him, whatever hurts he got in combat, if the weren't serious, healed themselves within a couple of hours. Damn Kyuubi chakra. On the plus side though, it meant Neji was freer than he would have been otherwise to fix himself up.

"Neji, we need to get moving. If we move fast, we can reach Konoha in about 2 hours, and I can sleep in my own bed. I don't think my backs ever gonna be the same after this mission. I've never slept on so many tree roots in my life".

Neji grunted, and slipped his shirt back on, wincing as a cut on his back pulled a bit. That one had been a decidedly more skilled than the average ninja. He'd found Neji's blind spot, and it was only thanks to some superior reflexes, and a fast-thrown kunai from Naruto, that the cut hadn't been worse. "You can sleep on anything, anywhere Naruto, so stop your whining."

Pouting, Naruto stood and slung on his pack. "Aaah, you're just grumpy 'cos I saved your butt."

Neji glared at him and threatened "Keep that up, and you can make the report to Tsunade yourself".

A trickle of sweat wormed its way down Naruto's cheek as he swallowed nervously. "Eh heh….sorry. I won't mention it again."

"You mean you won't mention it again until you want something". Neji snorted, and raised his eyebrow as Naruto started to complain. "Come off it Naruto, you know you'll try it. And I'll pretend to listen, before refusing. Because if you try to hold it over my head, then everyone will find out about that time when you got drunk while we were in Sand, and tried to kiss Temari. And I won't leave out how she kicked your arse until you sobered up enough to surrender and beg for mercy."

"Neji, it's a wonder you have any friends with a disposition like yours".

"It's a wonder you have any friends, Naruto, with a mouth like yours".

An evil look crossed over Naruto's face as the two skimmed through the tree tops to Konoha. "Speaking of lips, you seemed to find Sakura's pretty attractive before we left. Care to explain that one?"

"No, not really".

"Oh come on Neji, you've got to give me something".

"I don't have to give you anything Naruto", Neji growled.

Naruto pulled level with Neji and threw a red-eyed glare at him. "She's been my team mate and friend for 8 years. You hurt her and I hurt you, no matter the circumstances between us. If you're just messing around with her, you're either gonna stop, or I'm gonna make you." The claws that had spouted from Naruto's fingertips left gouges in the trees as he leapt from branch to branch.

"Damnit Naruto, control your chakra or you'll pull every bloody ninja within a mile down on us!"

"Then fucking tell me what you were doing!" Naruto spun, and grabbing Neji by the throat, slammed him up against the tree they'd landed in. "What's so hard about that?"

Neji ripped Naruto's hand off his throat and snarled into his face, "Because I don't fucking well know why I did it. I was there, she was there, I felt like kissing her, so I did. I'm a guy, and I've got hormones! Goddamnit Naruto, she's a grown woman, she can bloody well take care of herself, she doesn't need you to do it for her!"

Rage, fear, concern, and confusion chased each other across Naruto's face, followed by a myriad of others that flitted across his features to fast for Neji to identify. Slowly, the red-tinted chakra bleed back into Naruto, leaving his eyes their normal sparkling blue.

The blonde's shoulders slumped, and he sighed. "I'm sorry Neji, it's just that habits die hard, you know? Sasuke already broke her heart, I just didn't want you to do it again".

White eyes narrowed further. "I'm nothing like Sasuke"

"I would argue that point, but now's not the time for it. Let's just get back to the village." Naruto stuck out his hand. "Forgive me?"

Glancing from Naruto's proffered hand to his face, Neji shook his head, and grasped Naruto's face. "Heaven only knows why I do sometimes".

A cheeky grin spread its way over Naruto's face. "Aaaaww, admit it Neji, you love me!" And before Neji could hit him, Naruto was off, springing from branch to branch like a monkey.

The rest of the journey was uneventful everywhere except in Neji's head. Naruto had brought up a storm of questions in Neji's head, and he couldn't answer any of them. He didn't know why he'd kissed her, or why he'd only just realized how attractive she was. He couldn't say what she saw in him. And the thing that scared him the most was that he didn't know why he was so attracted to her, or when it had even started.

All he did know was that when he got back to Konoha, facing her was going to be the hardest thing he had to do.

_**XOX**_

Neji's feet dragged as he forced them towards the hospital. Tsunade had taken one look at him, and told him that Naruto could explain everything, but he, Neji, had better get his ass to the hospital and to Sakura before his feet fell out from under him. Naruto had started to complain but Tsunade had just smacked him across the head, and told him to get on with it.

The soles of Neji's shoes scuffed up the steps of the hospital, dragging as though they were no more eager to reach their destination than he was. But an order was an order, and Neji followed all orders to the letter. Still, this was one order he could've done without. And if he didn't know better, he would've said Tsunade had been smiling when she'd issued him with this particular order.

He gave up. It was all a conspiracy.

As he swung back the doors, he heard his name called, and his shoulders automatically stiffened. Did she have to be so prompt?

"Tsunade told me to expect you. She called about 10 minutes ago." Sakura's eyes raked up and down his body. "You look terrible".

Neji smiled wryly. "Blame it all on Naruto, this is what happens when you travel with him."

Her eyes glinting, Sakura grinned. "Yeah, he is a pretty mucky pup. Well, let's get you go fixed up."

As he followed her down the hall to a treatment room, Neji took the opportunity to admire the way her hips swung, and the graceful way she moved. Yeah, there was definitely a cosmic conspiracy going on, and Tsunade was in on it. Otherwise he'd never be feeling the way he was.

Soon enough, Sakura had him seated in a treatment room, stripped of everything but his boxers. Her hands flitted over him, warm with her chakra, which rushed through his boy, sealing off cuts into shiny pink scars, and reducing purpley-blue bruises to a mottled yellow.

Rubbing her hands against her thighs, Sakura settled herself on a stool in front of Neji. Not looking at him, she murmured, "Neji, there's some things I need to talk to you about."

Her hands trembled. Curious, he reached out and touched her shoulder. Troubled jade eyes met questioning silver eyes, and Sakura let out a shuddering breath. "You'd better put your shirt and pants back on first."

Neji complied with her request, then settled himself and waited for her to continue. Sakura took a deep shuddering breath. "Remember when I said that I was studying you while I was treating you?" At his nod, she continued. "Well, I wasn't just trying to understand your mental quirks. I was also analyzing your Byakugan. And I found that…" Here her voice trailed off, and she looked down at her tightly clasped hands.

"Found what?" Neji pressed.

Still not meeting his eyes, Sakura replied. "I found….. I found that if you continue to use your Byakugan at the rate and consistency that have been for the past few years, then…." And here her voice dropped to a whisper, "then you'll be blind within 6 months".


End file.
